Google temporarily removed Element’s Android chat app from the Play Store this week for allegedly hosting abusive content. The decision is particularly disconcerting, as Element is only a client for the federated chat protocol Matrix and not a service in itself. Which means that Element can (and does) moderate its own servers, but has zero control over what happens on the network that users connect to.
“[J]but Google doesn’t control web content, Element doesn’t control Matrix content, ”wrote Element CEO Matthew Hodgson in a blog post published Saturday.
Google launched Element from its app store on Friday without prior notice or notification and restored the app Saturday afternoon afternoon, Element said. On a Saturday morning tweet, the company said it had contacted Google and confirmed that the suspension “is due to abusive content somewhere in the Matrix.” Element’s developers sent a “detailed appeal” to Google to try to reverse the suspension, and it seems to have made a difference.
In a blog update, Hodgson said a Google executive apologized for Google’s “poor communication”. The suspension was apparently related to “some extremely abusive content” on the standard matrix.org initial server, which Element runs on behalf of the Matrix, which had already been identified and quickly dealt with by Element’s moderators.
G / O Media can receive a commission
“We explained how Element and the Matrix work, established a channel for communication about any future moderation concerns and we hope that the application will be restored soon,” wrote Hodgson at the time.
Hours later, he updated the blog to announce that the app was working again and thanked users for their patience.
“Thanks also to Google for being transparent and apologizing and for quick resolution as soon as we establish contact,” he said.
But while the app is back on the Google Play Store, its abrupt demise has undoubtedly caused some headaches for many companies, universities and governments, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Germany, which use Element and the network Matrix. Google previously suspended a third party customer for content beyond its control, such as Android Police grades. Inside February 2020, Google banned the popular open source Reddit Slide client for nearly two weeks because a screenshot on the app’s store list contained the text “ISIS”, as shown in a post related to Reddit news.
Google did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment. The incident with the Element comes after Google and Apple repressed Parlerof the app following the January 6 attack on the Capitol building for allegedly hosting violent content.
Thereby in mind, it makes sense that Google could have its criticisms raised about content moderation and is somewhat banned today. And while this approach may be justified in some cases, let’s remember that not all apps are bad and that some are really doing their best to combat violent and hateful content.